Unfinished Business: Sen. White touts "accomplishments"

Senate President Doug White has written a letter to his constituents, touting the Senate's "accomplishments" in the first six months of the 125th General Assembly, and providing a look ahead at the Senate's upcoming priorities.

Conspicuous in it's absence is any mention of House Bill 12, which the Senate is currently holding hostage, or the civil right to self-defense, a Constitutional right which Sen. White swore to uphold.

On April 30, the Gongwer News Service ran this headline: "WHITE SAYS CHAMBER WON'T LOOK TO TAFT FOR GUIDANCE ON GUN BILL".

In that same week, it appeared as though Taft wavered on his anti-self-defense rhetoric, and was perhaps floating a trial ballon for new-found support for the reform.

"He could support a concealed weapons bill if it includes significant training requirements, background checks and support of law enforcement groups," Holubec said. "Gov. Taft believes it is proper to take his cue from those working the front lines."

This was the first time Taft's office had ever mentioned the "front line", or rank-and-file aspect of law enforcement. "Front-line" law enforcement officers are well-known to be favorable of the right of self-defense for law-abiding citizens.

But something has changed in the weeks since Taft's trial balloon, and Sen. White's tough talk about not looking to Taft for guidance has been turned on it's head. The Taft administration was essentially allowed to write the worst of the worst of the Senate's amendments.

House Speaker Larry Householder, says "There’s no point in talking to the Senate. It’s handed all its lawmaking authority to the governor," Householder said. "It’s highly unusual to hand all your lawmaking authority to the governor."

White doesn’t agree. He says that when the Senate put its bill together it "engaged all parties," including the governor’s office. He has said previously there is no use passing a bill that Taft would veto because there were not the necessary 20 votes in the 33-member Senate to override a veto.

"I don’t think I abdicated to anyone," White said.

Even if we accept that he didn't abdicate his authority, he most certainly did go back on his pledge not to consider Taft when drafting amendments. And at the end of the day, the future of House Bill 12 lies at the feet of the Senate's Republican leadership.

Click on the "Read More..." link below for the full text of Sen. White's "accomplishments" letter, which was published in the People's Defender, a weekly newspaper from White's Senate District 14.

Accomplishments of the first six months of the 125th General Assembly
Wednesday, August 6, 2003

It seems hard to believe that the long, slow days of summer are passing us by, and soon it will be time to call the Senate back into session for the rest of the legislative year. As I look back on the first six months of the 125th General Assembly, I'm quite pleased at what we've accomplished so far.

Obviously, a great deal of time and effort was devoted to crafting the state budget for the next two years. I am proud of the work by my fellow legislators, and I truly believe we passed a responsible bill that will serve the needs of Ohioans and our most important priorities. Agricultural issues remained among our top priorities, and I was pleased to see several bills passed that will further protect our Ohio farms. In addition, I'm proud of the work the full Senate has done in already passing seven of our top 10 priority bills for this General Assembly.

Just as in other aspects of our lives, it's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day details, but it's important to step back occasionally and examine the bigger picture of what has been accomplished and what remains to be done.

The challenges that were presented to the legislature in crafting House Bill 95, the state's biennial budget, seemed daunting at times. After meeting in a conference committee to work out the differences between their two bills, the Senate and the Ohio House of Representatives agreed on a responsible spending plan for our state, reducing original levels of spending while
funding our highest priorities. The final version of HB 95 included increased funding levels for important priority programs including K through 12 and higher education; funding for institutional agencies including MR/DD and Mental Health Services; the restoration of optional services for dental, vision, and podiatric services, in addition to prescription drug coverage for those who receive Medicaid assistance; and funding for the Golden
Buckeye Card prescription drug program and PASSPORT program, to name a few.

Although we were not able to do everything we wanted, we passed a balanced budget that meets the needs of Ohioans for the next two years. I was also pleased to see the passage of Senate Bill 67, legislation that penalizes individuals who intentionally destroy crops, livestock, or agricultural
equipment. Unfortunately, some of our nation's farms, research laboratories,
and lumber facilities have come under attack from extreme environmental
groups targeting what they see as the "earth's enemies" capitalists who
would hurt the environment for profit. Under SB 67, the offender will be required to reimburse the victim for the cost of the damage and will be guilty of a third, fourth, or fifth-degree felony, depending on the value of the property or amount of physical harm involved.

With the increases in agricultural technology in recent years, a number of issues and ethical concerns have come up and sparked debate among environmentalists, businesses, and even within the agriculture industry itself. As we work through our differences, our best tool is thoughtful
debate, not destroying property and endangering lives.

Another measure passed by the Ohio Legislature this year was the successful
enactment of a lower blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit for Ohio drivers. This measure, to lower Ohio's BAC levels from .10 to .08, was ultimately included in the new state transportation budget. The measure was met with approval from Mothers Against Drunk Driving because statistics show that as many as 30 drunk driving deaths per year can be prevented by lowered BAC levels. In addition to the obvious benefit of improving safety on Ohio's roads, a .08 BAC level standard brings Ohio into compliance with new federal
government requirements that must be met in order for the state to collect
$12 million in federal highway funds for necessary transportation projects.
Passage of this measure ensures that Ohio will receive those federal dollars on schedule.

As you can see, Ohio legislators have had quite an array of tasks on their slate in the first few months of this year; yet, we've been successful in many important endeavors that I believe will benefit Ohioans and improve our great state. While I'm proud of the work we've accomplished so far this year, there is always more that remains to be done, and I'm eager to spend the next few months getting a head start.

As always, I welcome your views on state issues. If you have any questions,
thoughts, or concerns, or if you need assistance working with a state
government agency, please write to me: Senator Doug White, Ohio Senate,
Statehouse, Columbus, Ohio 43215, or call my office at (614) 466-8082.

Sen. Doug White, R-Manchester, represents Ohio’s 14th Senate District.